Out of State Purchase

Well good luck with that one... What state is offering no tax on Hybrids???

 

I don't think The state you buy it in matters, it is the state you are living in that counts. Go to your local DMV and ask what you need to register a new car bought from a out of state dealer.
In New york state you would need a MCO (Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin) and a original bill of sale from the dealer.
You don't pay the out of state dealer sales tax, instead you will pay sales tax when you go to register your new car at yout local DMV.
Your out of state dealer should be able to give you 30 day temp paper plates so you can drive it home.
before you go to pick it up get the VIN# from the dealer so you can contact you insurance company and get insurance and a insurace card (if your state requires it)

All the stuff above is if you are going to pay with certified check the total amount of the car.

If you are going to finance the car then the finance company has a lien on the car and the dealer cannot release the MCO without a letter from your finance company. This is true even if you finance through toyota. So now you have to do a DANCE getting the dealer to accept the finance company you selected and getting the finance company to give you a letter to release the MCO.
This is a very difficult thing to do.
The only other way to buy a car out of state with financing is "IF" the out of state dealer can handle registering the car in your state. Then he dosen't have to release the MCO to you and he handles everything. In that case he will issue you 30 day temp plates and you will pay a extra fee (about $350.00) and you will receive your new registration and plates in the mail. I think only very large out of state dealers would be able to do this.

I hope this enlightens more than it confuses.

Good luck I hope you get your "black beauty"

 

I too have recently bought out of state.

When buying out of state they cannot charge you sales tax, state tax, local tax, city tax, etc. at all. No taxes. When you get your title and bring it back to your state and register your vechile and transfer the title to yourself, then you will pay the state sales tax, other taxes directly to the title people.

So, no worries!

 

I got mine out of state. Sales tax varies a lot. Mostly you pay it all when you get home. A few states still tax you at purchase but most don't. I think that when that happens the state that you are registering the car makes you pay any difference. Just call the dealers often know and check with the place that you will be registering the car. It is worth a call or trip. They can give you the information and paper work. When I got mine I got the VIN number as soon as the car was on the boat. I then started the paperwork got the loan. Paid for the car and when I went to get it I had a license plate with me put them on and drove off. It takes a few days for the car to cross and get shipped to the dealer, plenty of time to get the paper work done. One hint if the sales person tries to put the plates on your car don't let him or her. To quote the local Prius Tech about my front license install "three drunk monkeys could have done a better job" nuff said. Bottom line do your home work and go for it. Have a nice drive home and remember you can use the cruse control on the freeway because the ICE is never running a a constant speed. Accelerate moderately and break gently as much as you can and it will be fine. Look for the archived delivery pick up check list.

 

May I ask where you were looking to buy your Prius from? At the end of last year, we successfully got a Prius from Toyota of Wallingford. I don't know if I would classify my opinion of them as a "recommendation," but they didn't try anything funny and they were satisfactory.

Regardless, I believe that MBranstein is right. The CT law says:

The purchase of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) with a fuel economy rating of at least 40 miles per gallon (mpg) and the original purchase of dedicated natural gas, LPG, hydrogen, or electric vehicles are exempt from sales tax.

IANAL, but I don't see any mention of a requirement to purchase the car in CT; I think you should be fine.

 

Hydrygas,
How did you manage to get financing and get the dealer to release the MCO to you so you could get it registered and the plates?
Did you have to get a letter from the finance company telling the dealer it is ok to release it?

Thanks
syncmaster

 

I also bought out of state and live in a state with no tax on hybrids. You will probably have to do a lot of homework yourself. I had to look up the statute for the tax exemption to show the dealer I bought it from.

Also different states have different laws. I was told by a California dealer that he would have to ship the car to me to avoid CA tax. If I took possesion in CA I would have to pay CA tax.

However many dealers don't know the laws. I also had a dealer in AZ tell me that if I bought in AZ I would have to pay their taxes. When another dealer in AZ called with a Prius I mentioned this and he said it was untrue. I ended up purchasing from this dealer and not paying AZ taxes.

Good Luck but do your homework.

 

Understood. I was rather put off by my experience at Colonial Motors in Milford. Originally, they seemed OK, but they got a little pushy with their $2K above MSRP and suggesting that we were never going to find it for less than that, and that we should, basically, not even try.

But, it certainly does seem like the states surrounding us get more Prii. And the whole VA/DC area seem to have a glut of them. If you don't mind saying, where did you end up buying from? If not the specific dealer, at least what region?

 

Another suggestion I have is do a search of the Dealer you are looking at. You may find info from others who have dealt with that particular Dealership.

 

I bought my Prius out of state simply because there's only one dealership here in Anchorage, and the sales dept. is staffed with morons. Granted, the dealer I bought from in OK wasn't exactly honest, but at least I got exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it, and for $250 below MSRP. And they thought they'd make more money on interest with me buying with TFS financing....

I ran around with the temp tag in the rear window for 15 days after my check cleared, then the dealer sent me the necessary paperwork to get the car registered here in AK. I did not pay any sales or excise tax, because I registered locally (OK has about 8% tax, too). Overall, it was very easy.

 

POC when they had the VIN they sent a fax of that and the purchase order to the Credit Union that I have been dealing with for years. We set thing up and it was not a problem. With the PO and the the rest was easy at least in Washington. Milage may vary. Check state laws and enlist the help of the financier, the local register or equivalent, dealer etc. Work the system!